A Shocking Way (Really) to Break Bad Habits

Every January for the past decade, Jessica Irish has made the same New Year’s Resolution: ‘to cut out late-night snacking and lose 30 pounds. Like millions of Americans, Ms Irish, 31, usually makes it about two weeks. But this year is different. She’s already lost 18 pounds and maintained her diet much longer than ever. She uses the Pavlok to give herself a lightning-quick electric shock.

Ms Irish credits a new wearable device called Pavlok for doing what years of diets, weight-loss programs, expensive gyms and her own willpower could not. “Every time I took a bite, I zapped myself” she said. "I did it five times on the first night, two times on the second night, and by the third day I didn’t have any cravings anymore."

Next time you smoke, bite your nails or eat junk food, one tap of the device or a smartphone app will deliver a shock. The zap lasts only a fraction of a second, though how strong the shock will be is up to you. It can be set between 50 volts, which feels like a strong vibration, and 450 volts, which feels like getting stung by a bee.

Bud Hennekes, 24, a blogger in St. Louis, said he had used Pavlok to kick a nearly two-pack-a-day cigarette habit. “When I used Pavlok, the cravings completely went away. I don’t know if it’s science or what, and I don’t really care because it worked.”

Before he invented Pavlok, the creator of it, Maneesh Sethi, hired a woman to sit next to him and slap him on the face every time she saw him using Facebook, so he could use social media less and increase his productivity. I called Mr. Sethi and told him that if we ever met, I’d try not to punch him in the face for creating such an awful torture device. “Yeah, I get that a lot,” Mr. Sethi said with a chuckle. “People either love it or hate it.”

“It’s not designed to be painful,” he added. “It’s instantaneous, a surprise sensation, a shock that knocks you out of automatic mode.”

Despite the potential for pain and the lack of science backing a long-term effect, user feedback on Facebook groups and message boards has been enthusiastic about the device, especially as a last resort for problems like overeating and smoking.